Earls Barton landlord's Pub-in-a-Box raises thousands to help reach out to village's most isolated residents

A Northamptonshire landlord has thanked his customers for backing a lockdown fundraising scheme to help stay in touch with his village's most isolated residents.

The UK was still at the peak of the coronavirus lockdown when landlord Paul Dexter launched his Pub-in-a-Box from The Old Swan in Earls Barton.

Rather than tide his business over, the direct-to-door treat was used to fund a huge effort by his kitchen staff and deliver hundreds of bowls of free stew each week to the village's most isolated residents.

Now, Just over a month later, The Old Swan has sold nearly 900 boxes and raised thousands of pounds for the neighbourly cause.

Paul said: "It's had a massive response. It's been a huge success.

"Thank you to everyone who supported it in these past weeks, and thank you to my team - none of this could have happened without them.

"We're still sending hundreds of bowls of stew out each week so I only hope people will still support us so we can carry on."

The Swan's Pub-in-a-Box can be delivered straight to the door and brings all the fun of a night down the local - namely with a mix & match of four drinks and five pub-favorite snacks like nuts and pork scratchings.

The funds from the Box are used by Paul and his team to cook up hundreds of bowls of stew for isolated, elderly and vulnerable residents.

But the weekly stew night is also a chance to check in on residents who were stuck indoors in the lockdown or hadn't seen their families in weeks.

Paul said: "Sometimes you would go out to drop the stew off and they hadn't spoken to anyone else all week.

"We were even able to send out free flowers to some houses thanks to some donations by Charlotte Davies who brought us bunches of flowers to sue.

"I think as the weeks have gone on it's steadily declined now that people can see each other in their gardens, but we're still delivering hundreds of bowls a week. But we'll keep on doing it until we're able to open again."

The Pub-in-a-Box costs £20 and features a Mix & Match of four ales, lagers, cocktails, ciders, G&Ts and Jack Daniels with coke - or alternatively you can send a bottle of wine or prosecco. Each box also comes with two bags of crisps, two bags or nuts, a bag of pork scratchings and four limited-edition Old Swan beer mats.

Orders are by card order over the phone with receipt on delivery. For more information or to order, call The Old Swan on 01604 810044 seven days a week.